The final major hurdle before a large housing estate can be built in Wroughton has been cleared.

The housing development arm of Hills, which also operates a waste management company has been given approval forthe details of the design and layout for a 104-house estate on land it owns behind Woodland View in the northern reaches of the village.

It already had outline permission for the estate, which was not a popular proposal among many residents including councillors and South Swindon MP Robert Buckland.

The approved plans show the houses arranged in a reverse L-shape along the eastern and southern boundaries of the large rectangular site, with a cricket ground and pavilion in the centre.

Trees dot the land around the cricket ground, with a large screen of greenery on the western boundary of the site.

Hills said in its application the development of 74 houses for sale and 30 affordable rented homes "seeks to promote character and quality in design with 13 different house types designed with sensitivity to the site constraints and all exhibit a contemporary aesthetic.”

One of the issues that caused disquiet is the proposed removal of trees and hedges screening the site from the back gardens of Clyde Cottages, a row of cottages behind the houses on Woodland View.

Former ward councillors Cathy Martyn and Brian Ford wrote to the borough council’s planners saying: The landscape treatment at the rear of Clyde Cottages appears to be non-existent and is not sympathetic to the local character.

They were also concerned that the houses in the new development would come too close to the rear of the Clyde Cottages and even prevent access.

While the planners said they understood the concerns they said, in the report recommending approval that it was not enough to refuse consent: “Whilst the loss of soft planting to the rear of Clyde Cottages is acknowledged and that this will alter the views from the rear of these properties meaning less greenery this is not reason enough alone to resist these reserved matters application.”

The report also says the developer has agreed to keep an access track of "approximately 2.5- 3 metres" at the back of Clyde Cottages to maintain rear access for the residents.

It adds: “A solid 1.8 metre timber fence will bound the rear of properties onto Swindon Road and Clyde Cottages as well as either side of the access road and thus there is no reason to suggest the proposals will generate any security/privacy issues in this regard.”